Jake and Emily are time traveling fourth graders. They began when they found and odd looking machine in a closet in their city library. Emily pushed the start button and off they went. They landed in the late 1800's and discovered that Alexander Graham Bell had a lab in town. He was trying to invent the telephone, but was a laughing stock of the whole town. The kids found him when he was very discouraged and ready to give up. The kids attempted to bolster his confidence and motivate him to finish the project. They thought they had him convinced. but returned home to find that there were no telephones. The librarian was communicating with a telegraph. The kids knew they had to go back. On the return trip, Jake showed Mr. Bell his cell phone and told him it would not exist if he doesn't invent the telephone. Mr. Bell promises to finish no matter what it took. The kids returned home, and found that telephones had been restored.